Coal Tattoo

Clean water coming to Prenter, W.Va.

This just in from The Associated Press:

PRENTER, W.Va. — Clean water is on its way to the Boone County town of Prenter.
Gov. Joe Manchin will be on hand Tuesday as West Virginia American Water breaks ground for a new line that is expected to supply 155 households by March.
The $2.2 million project is funded by a federal Small Cities Block Grant, the Boone County Commission and the water company.
Residents of Prenter and Seth are suing eight coal companies they believe poisoned their wells by pumping coal slurry into old underground mines. They claim cracks in the earth allowed the slurry to migrate and pollute the aquifer.
For months, many residents have been hauling clean water home from a pay station at a church. Others rely on free fill-ups of the 50-gallon barrels at their homes.

And there’s this commentary on the development from the Appalachian Voices’ Front Porch blog.